NEW PHOTOS: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2027965&id=152001486&l=fe48a0da67
Friday we went to Córdoba on a class field trip. We went to an archaeological dig site at an ancient city call Madinat al-Zahra, named after one of the Arabic ruler’s favorite concubines. A legend at the city says that the woman wanted more than anything to see the ground covered with snow. However, Córdoba never EVER gets snow. So the ruler planted thousands of almond trees all over the city and in the surrounding countryside. When the trees bloomed and the flowers fell to the ground, the layer of white petals was as close to the gift of snow that he could give her.
After exploring the ruins for about an hour, we went back into the city of Córdoba to the mosque. This mosque is unique for several reasons. First, its beauty and architecture are world-renown. Second, it has a Catholic cathedral built smack dab in the middle of it thanks to Spain’s history of Muslim and Catholic conquest. Third, it is the only mosque in the entire world that is not oriented towards Mecca. Our professors acted as our tour guides, and since they weren’t allowed to talk loudly, everyone wore these earpiece radio things and our professors talked softly into microphones as we walked around. The mosque is definitely one of the most visually stunning buildings I’ve ever been in.
Friday night we returned from Córdoba. Lisa and I had tickets for a concert in the gardens at the Real Alcázar, the royal palace. First we went out for dinner at a “bar” near the gardens. I say “bar” because a bar in Spain is not like a bar in the U.S. Here, a bar is simply like a little café eatery with outdoor seating and a bar counter inside. Anyways, we ended up talking with our waiter a little bit, and he was very nice. He invited us to come back to the restaurant anytime we wanted. Lisa and I think perhaps he was flirting with us, but I am not versed in such matters, and as such I have absolutely no idea whether he actually was flirting. After dinner we went to the gardens and walked around for about an hour. The gardens are huge and beautiful, and it was really cool to be there at night because normally it’s only open during the day. Then we went and found our seats for the concert and sat down. We were the very last two seats in the very last row…perfect for sneaking out of the concert a little early to head home, which we ended up doing. The concert was good: Irish folk music with Spanish lyrics, and every song was about the Virgin Mary. Odd. Very odd, but a good concert nonetheless.
On our way home, we decided we didn’t really know how to get home from the gardens, but we did know how to get home from the Plaza de España, which is nearby. So we walked to the Plaza, and ran into a ginormous botellón. A botellón is what young people do at night on the weekends here. They buy whiskey and Coca-Cola and plastic cups and congregate in numbers that range anywhere from a small circle of close friends to (in this case) what seems like half the young people in the city. As we walked by, it was getting kind of rowdy, so we hurried past, but much to our dismay, a couple blocks down we ran into another botellón in full swing, and it was even sketchier than the first one! So rather than walk through this one (in the dark, mind you), we took an exit off the street into the park, which I thought I knew where we were then. Apparently I did not. When we came out of the park on the other side, I had absolutely no clue where we were. I have spent some time in the past couple weeks studying my map so that if I get lost and don’t have my map with me I could at least hopefully have some idea where in the city I was. However, none of these street names looked familiar. (Come to find out later, the reason I didn’t recognize the streets is because we had walked so far we were off my map!) Lisa and I found a sign for our neighborhood, so we turned the corner and followed that. This street also happened to be a street full of discotecas and nightclubs. So here we are, dressed in our wholesome “let’s go tour Córdoba” clothes, walking with our school bags against the flow of what seemed like a hundred scantily-clad Spaniards heading in to party the night away. We definitely looked out of place. Eventually, the road started looking familiar and we found our way home. I’m glad I had Lisa with me, and I’m also glad to have gained a little more self-confidence through the experience.
Saturday we woke up bright and early and headed for the bus station at Plaza de Armas to meet a group of friends. We were planning on taking a bus to the beach at Matalascañas, on the Atlantic coast. We bought our tickets and headed downstairs to wait in line for our bus. When it pulled up, we expected to get on quickly, as we were only maybe 15 people back in the line or so. Case in point: when you are in another culture, never expect things to be done a certain way. Your presuppositions often make you look like a fool. Another case in point: Spanish bus stations sell tickets, not seats. So just because you have a ticket, doesn’t mean you have a seat. When the bus pulled up, rather than staying in our orderly line, the people rushed forward, pushing and shoving to get on the bus. What had been a group of civilized adults five seconds before turned into a madhouse. Lisa and another girl from our group made it on the bus, but the rest of us didn’t, along with about thirty others. Luckily, about three minutes later, the company had arranged another bus to bring the rest of us to the beach. Matalascañas was gorgeous, and I forgot my camera, but I did manage to steal some of Lisa’s photos. It was so relaxing: the sand was like flour, and the water was the perfect temperature. Something cool about the beach at Matalascañas is that a portion of an old tower fell down into the water, and it sits smack dab in the middle of the beach, about twenty meters into the water at low tide. We all got on the bus back home just fine.
Sunday morning we went to Iglesia Prosperidad again. I like it there, but I found it hard to understand the man who gave this week’s message. It didn’t help that he spoke really fast, or that the main verb that seemed to be in every one of his points is one that I didn’t know, or that he talked in a type of past tense that I rarely use or hear, so it was hard to follow. But it was good nonetheless, and Sunday afternoon was spent doing homework at the house.
Oh, and it’s cooling off here! By cooling off, I mean it’s like 80 degrees, which now feels like sweatshirt weather to me. That’s hard for me to believe!
Anyways, this has been a majorly long post, but it feels good to have it done. J
Blessings,
Katie
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